ARLINGTON, Texas – Attendees of the Cabinets & Closets and Wood Pro Texas conferences will have the opportunity to see how one-piece decorative cabinet doors are manufactured.

The March 11 dual-track conference sessions conclude with the option to tour First Source Cabinet Doors. The Dallas-based company specializes in the manufacture of rigid thermofoil (RTF) cabinet doors and drawer fronts. The company’s operation spans more than 21,000 square feet, two-thirds of that is devoted to manufacturing.  The tour is sponsored by Felder.

First Source exclusively sells wholesale and ships products across the country. The company’s main customer base is made up of contractors who reface kitchens and baths for multi-family dwellings. First Source also sells to companies that manufacture kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanities and closet organization systems.

Keith Edmunds, who founded First Source in 1996, said the tour of his factory will “start from cutting and end up in packaging. We’ll basically walk through how the doors are made and why we do certain things during the tour.” He added that the open house will have a happy hour atmosphere featuring bourbon and beer as well as soda, water and light refreshments.

Key operations that the tour will highlight include:

• Nesting cabinet doors and drawer fronts on the company’s two Felder Profit H10 CNC machining centers.
• Cutting out hinge holes using a hinge press.
• Applying a two-component water-based glue from Daubert specially formulated for membrane pressing.
• Pressing rigid thermal foil sheets on doors and drawer fronts using an Italpresse membrane press.
• Sanding the excess glue off the backs of doors after they are pressed with a Gottschild sander.
• Packaging doors and drawer fronts in protective clear plastic bags in preparation for shipping.

In addition to members of his staff, Edmunds said he will have representatives of several of his key suppliers on hand to answer technical questions, including the tour sponsor, Felder.

Shaker	Colonial	Contemporary

What’s hot?
“The industry has come a long way in the short period that I’ve been here,” Edmunds said. “Twenty years ago, we were just pressing white antique doors. Now the selection of materials that we use is incredible. We’re seeing a lot of woodgrains, a lot of textures, a lot of grays. Super matte finishes are really big now. We stock over 30 different laminates and have access to hundreds more through our suppliers.”

First Source offers all of its finishes for eight distinct door styles ranging from colonial to contemporary. “Any variation of Shaker is hot right now,” Edmunds said. “Contemporary is also very popular.”

“We pride ourselves for making a quality door at an economical price and we really value our relationships with our vendors. I’m looking forward to hosting the open house,” Edmunds said.

In addition to touring First Source Cabinet Doors, attendees will visit the showroom of Techline Furniture, Cabinetry & Closets. The tours are sponsored by Felder.

Learn more about the Cabinets & Closets and Wood Pro Expo Texas conferences and register to attend.

About Cabinets & Closets Conference & Expo
The Cabinets & Closets Expo (CCCE) is the annual national event for cabinet and closet professionals and is co-located with Wood Pro Expo. The events are organized by Closets & Organized Storage and FDMC magazines respectively, both part of Woodworking Network.

The Cabinets & Closets event leads off with a full-day executive conference followed by the two-day expo featuring woodworking machinery and supplies. Additional educational programming is offered on both days of the expo. Tours of local manufacturing plants and the popular Top Shelf Design Awards reception are also key components of the event.

The 2020 CCCE is scheduled for March 11-13 at the Arlington Convention Center, Arlington, Texas. For information about exhibiting, and sponsorship opportunities, contact Patrick Filippelli of Hall-Erickson Inc. at [email protected]. or phone 800-752-6312.